


Bandages

by Evilsforreals



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 06:44:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1295323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilsforreals/pseuds/Evilsforreals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey all! I got another request for a rare-pair one-shot, this time with Reiner/Armin! Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote>





	Bandages

There was a faint ringing in Armin’s ears, as he lay propped against an old tree trunk. He was exhausted, air rushing into his lungs with every ragged gasp. He wasn’t sure what was happening; only sure that _something_ must have just taken place. He could feel something wet trickling down his cheek. He slowly swiped a hand across his face, and his eyes widened as they came away stained red. Why would his head have red-

And then he remembered. The brief shadow before the huge swiping hand of the Female Titan batted his horse from under him like it was a clump of dirt. The sensation of sailing through the air, twisting in all directions, bracing for the inevitable crash. The out-of-body sensation of feeling his weak frame make contact with the earth, turning over and over as the momentum of the attack kept him cartwheeling through the dirt and grass, until he finally came to a stop. And then the moment of horror when the Female Titan raised the hood from his face, to stare at him with those maddening eyes-

“Armin. _Armin_. “

Armin looked up, interrupted from his reverie. The tall figure of Reiner was squatted down next to him, worry etched into his face. “You ok?”

“I…I think so. I dunno,” Armin said weakly.

Reiner tutted and leaned in towards Armins face. He looked equally exhausted, with sweat dripping down his face. But his eyes were still sharp, as he reached out to examine Armin’s head. He whistled. “Man you’re lucky this isn’t any worse. At most you might have suffered a concussion, but only a mild one.”

“I don’t _feel_ very lucky,” Armin muttered, giving Reiner a weak grin.

At this, Reiner chuckled; his face relaxing a bit as he pulled out the medical pack. He withdrew a small green bottle, and began to pour a generous amount of the liquid onto a small cloth. He took a seat right in front of Armin, and bent forward to begin cleaning the wound. Armin squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the pain.

At first, Armin thought Reiner had paused. But then he felt the gentle strokes on his forehead. It stung a bit, but nothing compared to what he had expected. Armin opened his eyes again, and caught Reiner’s gaze. “Everything ok?” Reiner asked as he poured another helping of solvent on the rag.

“Yeah, I just didn’t expect you to be so…gentle I guess.” Armin flushed slightly realizing what he had said, but Reiner just laughed.

“I’ve had some experience with treating wounds before,” Reiner explained as he continued to work on cleaning Armin’s wound. “I guess I got the gentle part from watching my mom. Bertholdt and I played a lot as kids. You wouldn’t guess it, but Bertholdt was the more aggressive one back in the day. He’d be climbing trees, and jumping over fences, so I got a lot of practice on him. Hell, I was usually just as banged up as him.”

“That doesn’t sound like the gentle giant we all know,” Armin commented, wincing slightly as Reiner’s cloth passed over a deeper part of the gash.

“Yeah,” Reiner mused quietly, “I guess we changed.”

The two boys were quiet for the next few minutes, Reiner continuing to disinfect the wound, while Armin stared dully out at the field. He felt a tiny rush whenever he felt Reiner’s hands pushing his bangs back to reach the wound better. His hands were warm. Armin looked away, trying to distract himself. “Where are Jean and Christa?”

“They’re scouting the area, and waiting for the signal to move out again,” Reiner said, sitting back with a sigh. He tossed the bloodied rag down on the grass. “There, that’s as disinfected as it’s going to get. Let me wrap it up.”

Reiner dug through the pack, and withdrew a large spool of gauze. He unraveled it a bit, and then proceeded to begin wrapping it around Armin’s head. Around and around he went, layering the bandaging so it adequately covered the wound. Before long, Armin couldn’t feel any more pain at all from his head, although there was still a slight ringing in his ears.

“There, all done,” Reiner smiled as he tied a small knot in the back, securing the bandage firmly to Armin’s head. Armin felt that familiar rush at feeling his warm fingers on the back of his head. He looked away again, trying to fight the red from entering his cheeks-

He felt a slight pressure on the center of his forehead. He looked back, to see Reiner almost on top of him, his lips gently planted in the center of his forehead. For a moment Armin froze. He wanted to say something, do something, but everything was locked in place. After what seemed like centuries, Armin was able to muster up a choked squeak.

“R-Reiner?”

Reiner’s eyes shot open, suddenly looking panic-stricken. He threw himself backwards away from Armin, tipping over and falling onto his back. He shouted a muffled oath, and clutched his hand. Armin looked down, to see a thorn embedded in Reiner’s hand where he had tried to stop himself from falling.

“Are you ok? Do you want me to get that out, or do you want to do it yourself?” Armin asked, trying to sound calm, while he was still dealing with the swarm of butterflies that had erupted in his stomach.

Reiner shook his head, grimacing in pain. He reached down with his other hand, and gripped the end of the thorn. He hesitated for a moment, before pulling, ripping the thorn out. “Goddamn,” he growled, nursing his bleeding hand.

Armin grabbed the knapsack, and pulled out a fresh cloth. He grabbed the small green bottle, and began pouring another dosage of the antiseptic solution onto the cloth. He beckoned with his hand towards Reiner. The two stared at one another for a few moments, before Reiner, face red with embarrassment, extended his hand for Armin.

The wound was small but deep, still oozing rivulets of dark blood. Armin held Reiner’s hand steady with one hand, as he began to wipe the blood with the rag. He couldn’t stop himself  from shaking slightly, as he felt the warmth from Reiner’s hand. He couldn’t help but notice how his hand fit so easily into his own hand-

“I’m sorry about that.”

Armin’s head jerked up. Reiner was looking away; his cheeks still a deep red. “About what?” Armin asked.

Reiner shot a quick glance towards Armin, and then looked away pointedly when his eyes met Armins, his cheeks turning even redder. “About…that kiss.”

Armin flushed again, suddenly remembering what had happened moments before. Reiner’s injury had completely driven it from his mind. “Oh, no it’s…it’s fine.”

“My mom always did that whenever she finished bandaging a wound,” Reiner said quietly. “It just kind of became a habit. Just a little thing to make it better.”

Armin was quiet as he began to unravel the gauze. He couldn’t help but allow a small smile to travel across his face. It was a rare sight to see the rough and self-assured Reiner to be acting so gentle and embarrassed. “Your mom seems like a great person.”

He began to wrap the bandaging around the hand, his mind abuzz with emotion. Why was he so focused on the kiss? It had just been a habit from his mom, but it had felt so genuine, and the look on his face had been so endearing. Armin felt a strange buzzing in the back of his skull. He could feel Reiner looking at him, as he shakily began to tie off the bandage. Over the loop, down and under and-

There was a slight taste of antibacterial soap. Armin realized his eyes had squeezed shut, and he quickly opened them to see Reiner’s hand pressed against his face. _I didn’t,_ Armin thought to himself, looking up. Reiner was staring at him in complete shock. _Oh God, I did._

It was Armin’s turn to back away hastily. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that, the story about your mom was…and it was a nice thought and-and-“

Reiner had surged forward, and enveloped Armin in a strong hug. Armin was speechless, partly from the bravado of his action, and partly from this surprise hug. He could feel the raw power as Reiner squeezed harder, burying his face into Armin’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Reiner mumbled softly. “It’s…it’s been a while since anyone’s been that kind to me.”

Armin couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, he tightened his grip on Reiner, as the two shared a moment. He felt something wet, and moved slightly to see tears trickling down his face.

“Reiner you’re-“

“Yeah,” Reiner said shakily, wiping his face with hand. “I dunno why I’m…sometimes I just feel lost, you know? Like I don’t know what’s going to happen. Who could be alive or dead at the end of today?”

Armin could feel the muscles in Reiner’s arms shaking with pent-up emotion. Reiner continued, sounding even more panicked. “And what we’re doing is it even the right thing to do? What if-what if everything we know is wrong, and we’re doing everything wrong, and what if someone dies, or you die, or-“

Armin reached up, and grabbed the back of Reiner’s head, and pulled it forward, planting a firm kiss square on the mouth, even as Reiner tried to continue ranting. Reiner’s mouth froze again, but his arms flailed erratically at his side. Armin pulled back, and smiled softly at the taller boy. He reached up, and brushed a tear from his cheek.

“We do what we can to protect the people we care about. Nothing more, nothing less,” he whispered softly. “It’s a crazy messed up world, but there’s good in it worth fighting for. Good people. Like Eren, Mikasa, Connie, Jean, Sasha, Bertholdt, Annie, Ymir, Christa, and…and you.”

Armin continued to wipe tears from Reiner’s eyes. “Reiner you…you are what every one of us hopes to be. Strong, reassuring, and always there to defend others. There’s no doubt in my mind that whatever reason you have to fight is a good one.”

Reiner gave a shaky sigh, and let his head rest on Armin’s shoulder again. “You’re still way too smart for your own good.”

Armin laughed, and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll get through this. We all will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! I got another request for a rare-pair one-shot, this time with Reiner/Armin! Hope you enjoy!


End file.
